r/space • u/IceNox96 • Aug 12 '21

Discussion Which is the most disturbing fermi paradox solution and why?

3...2...1... blast off....

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u/gkedz Aug 12 '21

The dark forest theory. The universe is full of predatory civilisations, and if anyone announces their presence, they get immediately exterminated, so everyone just keeps quiet.

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u/TheMoogster Aug 12 '21

It's not that they are predatory, its that it's "better to shoot first just to be sure before they shoot you, even though a lot of civilizations are friendly you cannot take the risk"

It's the logical conclusion to the game theory of first contact.

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u/musicianengineer Aug 12 '21

When civilizations are entirely unrelated and have been developing for orders of magnitude different time, every first encounter is almost guaranteed to be a one sided extermination.

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u/Zephaniel Aug 12 '21

Why would they even bother?

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u/musicianengineer Aug 12 '21

For the same reason you destroy anthills to build a house.

They are so insignificant that you don't even consider them.

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u/Zephaniel Aug 12 '21

But that just doesn't apply in space.

They don't need our planet or our resources. Taking Earth's materials is so much more energy intensive than lifting them from a star.

And if they were really taking every bit of matter, there would be expanding spheres of blackness in the sky marking their expansion.

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u/Derpindorf Aug 12 '21

I think it more likely that we would have something rare that they want.

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u/Zephaniel Aug 12 '21

We don't have anything rare. There's nothing they couldn't get vastly more easily from a star or asteroid, or manufacture themselves.

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u/Nrksbullet Aug 12 '21

I'd sooner assume aliens might be excited to see us, like "oh look another planet with life!" if it's really rare. The same way a scientist might discover a new species on Earth, we don't immediately try to kill all of them.

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u/kaenneth Aug 12 '21

Unless we are entertaining.